COAL SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 259, 29 July 1937, Page 15

COAL SHORTAGE

Position Expected to be Normal Next Week SEVERAL FACTORS DELAY SHIPMENTS The fact of a shortage of Westport coal in Wellington was confirmed by dealers interviewed yesterday. lac element of seriousness, however, was stated to be confined to the small dealers who were unable through lack of space or financial reasons to hold large stocks. In any case the shortage would be relieved by the arrival of a shipment from the West Coast on Saturday and two more next week. At present supplies of Waikato coal were being drawn upon. It was agreed that there was no abnormal demand this winter as the result of cold weather. The shortage was said to be aggravated by the fact that even large dealers had not built up the customary heavy stocks during the summer, owing to fewer ships having been available to clear the output of the Westport mines. During the last fortnight the* same factor had combined with weather and bar conditions on the West. Coast to delay the clearance, and it was believed that hundreds of trucks of coal were lying at the wharves. A retailer whose empty bins bad been unable to supply orders for Westport coal, said that it was hard to have to reject orders when there was little enough return as it was from the retail coal business. Increased delivery costs through higher wages and shorter hours, the latter factor operating especially toward the end of the week when most of the delivery took place, were swallowing up the returns. These costs were actually heavier in Wellington than in the other centres, one reason being the amount of climbing and another the number of bags to the ton, 20 as against 12 in tha. other cities.